


no need to be known

by mayuaka



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, if i think about these two for more than five seconds i immediately burst into tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayuaka/pseuds/mayuaka
Summary: When they’re done, Sephiroth looks a bit morethere,apparently enough for him to say, “You don’t have to do this.” Which is so Sephiroth-like it’s reassuring, but also frustrating.Zack sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not doing this out of obligation.”Sephiroth lets out a short, sharp laugh. “Are you sure? Is it atonement, then?”
Relationships: Zack Fair & Sephiroth, Zack Fair/Sephiroth
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	no need to be known

“Hey,” Zack calls, closing and locking the door behind him with one hand and a plastic bag of takeout boxes in the other. 

Sephiroth flinches imperceptibly at his voice, then immediately composes himself. He’s standing in the kitchen, hands gripping the edge of the counter too tightly. “Zack,” he says.

Zack sets the bag on the table in front of the sofa and walks into the kitchen himself. “Seph,” he says, not sure if he needs to physically drag Sephiroth to the couch or not. 

“I’m fine,” Sephiroth insists, despite the fact that his fingers are white on the counter. 

“Come over here and  _ eat,  _ or else the extra food will go to waste.”

For some reason that’s what gets Sephiroth to slowly unclench his fingers and move. Zack leads the way and begins to unpack the bag. 

“Don’t spill on the couch,” Sephiroth says, and leaves the unspoken threat hanging in the air. Zack grins and hands him a plastic container and a fork.

They eat in mostly silence, sitting next to each other, forgoing the dining table because it only reminds Sephiroth of the empty chairs at it. Besides, then he’d insist on actual cutlery and plates. This was easier. 

Sephiroth picks at his food slowly, but finishes it. Zack finishes several minutes before he does and starts to clean up the containers, because he knows if he doesn’t do it now they might sit there for a week.

When they’re done, Sephiroth looks a bit more  _ there,  _ apparently enough for him to say, “You don’t have to do this.” Which is so Sephiroth-like it’s reassuring, but also frustrating.

Zack sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m not doing this out of obligation.”

Sephiroth lets out a short, sharp laugh. “Are you sure? Is it atonement, then?”

“It’s not...atonement.” But his voice is quieter and more hesitant, whether because he can’t quite believe himself either or because he’s caught off guard by Sephiroth’s pointed words, and it gives Sephiroth the answer he wants to hear anyway.

He wants to pick a fight, the sound of metal hitting against metal just to make Sephiroth forget for a moment, force him to focus on instinct and movement, then inevitably get his ass kicked. Or maybe it would remind Sephiroth too much of the days when he sparred with  _ them, _ the fateful battle that had sent everything spiraling. He knew enough to think that Sephiroth probably blamed himself for all of it, from pushing things onto Zack to the degradation, even if it was going to happen anyways, injury or not. 

Sephiroth’s eyes are downcast, looking even more lost after his brief outburst. Sure, part of Zack feels a responsibility to somehow fix this—that makes Sephiroth sound broken, doesn’t it? That would be funny, if Shinra had set them up like this on purpose—preying on Zack’s nature to care, to push Sephiroth back onto his feet so their perfect killing machine could go back to functioning.

Woah. A little too cynical there, huh.

Yeah, he wants to atone. This is the best place to start.

They’ve both lapsed into silence. Zack starts with, “That can be part of it, if you think so. But I just want to help you. As...as a friend.”

Sephiroth meets his eyes, his expression betraying nothing. Zack wants to backpedal. A shred of panic settles in his stomach. Sephiroth’s eyes are really green.

“Zack,” he says, almost in slow motion. Gods, Sephiroth’s eyelashes are really long. 

“...Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Sephiroth says, with great effort. Zack wants to hug him, though he has no idea if he would be okay with that. 

He settles for grinning widely and scooting a tiny bit closer to Sephiroth on the other end of the couch. “You’re welcome.”

He wants to make Sephiroth stop thinking so much. He tells him about the new friend he’s made, a little shy, bright blue eyes, might be interested in meeting Sephiroth. Sephiroth laughs at that, genuine instead of cutting. Zack mentally pats himself on the back and carefully dances around the issue of Shinra. He tells him about Aerith, avoids why he’d fallen in the first place, recalls how he’d been tricked by the kids in Sector 5. Sephiroth listens and smiles and pokes fun at him in the right places, and Zack feels good. Really good.

This is something he can do, being a distraction. This is something he can help with. He’s been unconsciously moving closer to Sephiroth the whole time, and he only realized when their knees brush against each other accidentally. Sephiroth tenses, then relaxes just as fast.

Zack swallows and says, “Is there anything you want to talk about? Good things you remember, I mean. Only if you want.”

Sephiroth considers. He tells Zack about their ridiculous training room shenanigans. Zack thinks of how he already knows because of the fanclub emails, which is probably not a good thing to mention at the moment. He doesn’t even know why he’s signed up for those in the first place, oops.

Anyways, he laughs and expresses disbelief and is his usual self. He likes the way Sephiroth’s expression gets so fond, lights up in a way he hasn’t seen before. They talk and talk, about anything else but what’s at hand, and soon enough he’s forgetting about it, too, pushing aside everything that’s been weighing on him for so long—only for this precious moment, where time is still and the atmosphere is light.

A natural silence settles across them, and he doesn’t want it to end. He doesn’t want this night to slip through his fingers, doesn’t want to face anything else in the world. He slides his arm around Sephiroth’s shoulders as if he could anchor himself there.

Sephiroth leans closer into his side without a word. It’s nice. Zack has seen what he can do with a sword, so to have him quiet and relaxed, so close, sets his heart beating quicker, like he’s tamed a particularly wild cat.

“Seph,” he says, at the same time Sephiroth starts, “I—” and they both stop and smile at each other.

“You know you can talk to me, right?” 

“Yes,” Sephiroth answers, just to humor him.

“So, I’m gonna be coming here a lot more often. Just so you know.”

“I’m not sure I can stop you, since you’ve somehow ended up with the key.”

Zack tries his best to not look guilty.  _ Check up on him,  _ Tseng had said, pressing the key into his hands. Like Zack was supposed to clean up the mess. It was an unfair way to think about it, because Tseng was trying to help them in his own indirect way. As casually as possible, he says, “I may have convinced someone to give it to me.”

“Of course.” Sephiroth’s eyes light up with the barest hint of amusement, his lips upturned a little at the edges. It’s so  _ him  _ and Zack really likes it. 

“Let me stay here for the night,” he ventures. “I’ll take the couch.”

“I...okay,” Sephiroth agrees, surprisingly quickly.

Neither of them move. Zack leans his head on Sephiroth’s shoulder and lets himself believe, for now, that maybe things will be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i woke up this morning, played this shit out in my head, and then spent the next 2 hours slapping it onto a doc. this is like, a new record for how fast i've written something. i hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading <3


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